Drive unit for operating and cutting out the additional thread supplies and associated thread guides on dual cylinder circular knitting machines

ABSTRACT

Drive unit for dual cylinder, circular knitting machines. The unit comprises a shaped in juxtaposed relationship with a gear wheel rotably restrained with the rotating members of the dual needle cylinder. A tooth is formed on the shaped disc, selectively engageable with one of two levers freely mounted on pins carried by the gear wheel to rotably restrain said gear wheel with the disc at two discrete relative angular positions. A rocking lever is pivoted to the shaped disc and carries small jacks acting and stepwise rotably driving the control cams for operating and cutting out the additional thread supplies and associated thread guides of the circular knitting machines to which said unit is applied.

United States Patent Lonati June 10, 1975 [541 [)RivE UNlT FOR ()pERATmG AND 2.959040 ll/l960 Saunders .6 66/l4 3,l()8,46l 10/1963 Zahradka ,1 66/!38 CUTTING OUT THE ADDITIONAL THREAD SUPPLIES AND ASSOCIATED THREAD GUIDES ON DUAL CYLINDER CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum {57] ABSTRACT Drive unit for dual cylinder circular knitting machines, The unit comprises a shaped in juxtaposed relationship with a gear wheel rotably restrained with the rotating members of the dual needle cylinder. A tooth is formed on the shaped disc. selectively engageable with one of two levers freely mounted on pins carried by the gear wheel to rotably restrain said gear wheel with the disc at two discrete relative angular positions. A rocking lever is pivoted to the shaped disc and carries small jacks acting and stepwise rotably driving the control cams for operating and cutting out the additional thread supplies and associated thread guides of the circular knitting machines to which said unit is applied.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures DRIVE UNIT FOR OPERATING AND CUTTING OUT THE ADDITIONAL THREAD SUPPLIES AND ASSOCIATED THREAD GUIDES ON DUAL CYLINDER CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES This invention relates to a drive unit for connecting and disconnecting the additional thread supplies and associated thread guides on dual cylinder, circular knitting machines of the type having two or more supplies.

During some steps of knitting process on circular machines of the above character. it is required to connect or disconnect the additional thread supplies (in addition to the main supply), or to connect or disconnect or otherwise interchange the thread guides associated with said additional supplies.

At the present state of the circular knitting machine art, such operations are carried out by a device comprising a gear rotating in synchronism with the dual cylinder of the machine, on one face of which a rocking lever is pivoted for selectively engaging two angularly spaced apart teeth on a disc carrying a displacement connecting rod for a set of levers cooperating with cam discs for operating and/or cutting out the additional thread supplies and thread guides associated therewith. Thus, when the rocking lever engages either teeth of the disc, it will rotably drive the latter along with the gear rotating in phase or angularly delayed (or advanced) relative to said gear and thereby relative to the rotation of the dual needle cylinder depending on which of said teeth is engaged by said lever. According to the present art, the connecting rod disc is engaged by braking means for stabilizing its position and preventing any angular displacement thereof both in forward and rearward directions during the change of operation for the rocking lever from one tooth to the other of said disc. In this conventional device there are however such disadvantages restricting its functionality and efficiency. Thus, notwithstanding the provision of a brake, there is in said device a high possibility of phase displacement for the whole assembly of the machine supply members relative to the dual cylinder, thereby resulting in an alteration of the regular sequence of knitting with possible relevant failures in the affected members. Additionally, the brake as made at present, is of poor durability and requires frequent adjustments to its braking force, other-wise completely failing in its effectiveness.

It is the main object of the present invention to avoid the above mentioned disadvantages by providing a drive unit for the additional supplies and associated thread guides, not requiring any braking member. Thus, the conventional brake acting on the connecting rod disc and the need of periodical inspections on the braking unit are completely dispensed with.

It is another object of the present invention to avoid any possibilities of phase displacement between the dual needle cylinder and the assembly of the machine supply members, so as to avoid possibilities of failures in the machine and time losses for the necessary repairs and resetting to phase.

Still further objects are to provide a unit, as above specified, which is of simple design and construction, reliable and unchangeable in time and capable of being mounted on dual cylinder machines also for replacing the conventional units, thereby without altering or modifying the structure of the machine.

Said objects are accomplished by the subject of the present invention, according to which a drive unit for operating and cutting out the additional thread supplies and associated thread guides on dual cylinder, circular knitting machines, comprising a gear wheel rotably restrained to a drive wheelwork for the dual cylinder, a disc idly mounted on the shaft of said gear wheel, having connected thereto the small end of a connecting rod which in turn is restrained to a plurality of levers acting on a set of cam discs for controlling the additional thread supplies and associated thread guides, is characterized in that on the face of said idle disc facing said gear wheel an annular element is secured, having at least one peripheral tooth, selectively engaging two rocking spring levers pivoted to said gear wheel for rotably restraining said connecting rod disc with said gear wheel.

Further details of the invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying ex planatory and not limiting drawing, in which:

FIG. I is a front schematic view showing a portion of a machine carrying thereon a drive unit according to the present invention, the elements comprising the unit being shown at the position corrisponding to the release of a rocking lever which is part of the unit;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the unit shown in FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are two fragmentary sectional views, as taken along line A-A of FIG. 2, showing the positions of a gear wheel relative to an idle connecting rod disc as said disc is driven by first and second rocking levers, respectively.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the drive unit comprises a gear wheel 1 carried on a shaft 2 (fast with a stationary frame 20) and driven in the direction of arrow F of FIG. 1 by the drive wheelwork 3 for rotation of the dual needle cylinder (not shown) of the circular knitting machine. A disc 4 is idly carried on the shaft 2 of said gear wheel I, to which the small end of a connecting rod 6 is restrained on a pin 5, the opposite end of the connecting rod 6 being engaged on a pin 7, to which a plurality of thrust levers 8 are restrained and act upon cam discs 9 carried on a pin 21 and in a per se known manner designed to control through members, also per se well known and therefore not shown for simplicity, the operation of the additional supply or supplies of the machine and the thread guides associated with said additional supplies.

In other terms, the cam set 9, the members firmly secured thereto, and the assembly of the operating levers 8 for said cams are of a per se well known structure, whereby a detailed description thereof will not be given herein.

On the inner face of said disc 4, and between the latter and the gear wheel I, an annular element 10 is at tached and has thereon a peripheral tooth or notch I 1, two rocking levers 12, 13 selectively cooperating therewith and being rotable on pins carried by said gear wheel 1. Each of the levers 12, 13 are connected to a spring 14 and 15, respectively, for maintaining one end of said lever adhering to the periphery of the annular element 10, so as to engage said tooth 11 when meeting the same and rotably drive the disc 4 and connecting rod 6. The rocking levers l2, 13 are angularly spaced from each other on the gear wheel 1 and, adjacent the travel or path thereof, an element I6 is provided as movable in either direction on a fixed spoke 22 and positionable upon command at either levers l2, 13 to cause the rotation on the pin carrying each of the levers, when required to be released from the tooth of the annular element 10. Finally, two auxiliary notches l7, 18 are formed on said element 10, the notches being oriented in opposite direction of that of said tooth 11, a spring pawl 19 engaging thereon, which is also piv oted to the gear wheel 1 and having the purpose of preventing any uncontrolled movements of said disc 4 and connecting rod 6.

As readily seen also from the drawings, the described unit is completely avoid of the conventional brake, and in said unit the drive for the disc 4 and connecting rod 6 is feasible by the two rocking levers l2, l3 selectively acting on the same tooth ll of the annular element 10. Thus, for example, when it is the lever 12 to engage the tooth ll of said element 10 (see FIG. 3), the disc 4 and connecting rod 6 are rotably driven according to an accurate angular orientation relative to the gear wheel 1 and accordingly with respect to the dual needle cylinder of the machine to which said wheel 1 is restrained, and this to control predetermined knitting operations. As said disc 4 and connecting rod 6 are driven by the second lever 13 (see FIG. 4), said disc and gear wheel 1 will take instead a different mutual angular positioning, with controls corresponding thereto for accomplishing further operations in other areas of the dual needle cylinder.

Thus, when referring to a particular tooth T of the gear wheel 1 and pin 5 of the connecting rod 6 (FIGS. 3 and 4), it will be seen that the drive for the disc 4 and connecting rod 6 by said levers l2 and 13, respectively, would cause a change in the position of said disc relative to the gear wheel. It will be also seen that the release for either lever l2, 13 from the tooth ll of the element 10, which release is determined by the single element 16, always occurs with the small end of the connecting rod positioned at the same location, while the gear wheel 1 takes an advanced (or delayed) angular position with respect to the disc 4, as it will be seen from the different position of tooth T on the gear wheel 1 relative to pin 5, by comparing FIG. 4 to FIG. 3.

As either lever l2, 13 of element releases, the assembly comprising said disc 4 and connecting rod 6 is completely stationary because of the action of pawl 19 and also in that the cam discs 9 are mounted under braked condition on the associated support 21, so as not to rotate, but urged by levers 8.

Substantially, the two rocking levers l2, l3 similarly control, although at different times, the disc 4 and connecting rod 6 so as to provide two different driving positions for said connecting rod 6 relative to the gear wheel 1 and needle cylinder, thereby performing two different controls for the cam disc unit in connecting and disconnecting the additional supplies and associated thread guides to provide the possible operation thereof at different areas on the dual cylinder of the circular knitting machine.

What I claim is:

1. A drive unit for operating and cutting out the additional supplies and associated thread guides on dual cylinder, circular knitting machines, comprising a gear wheel rotably restrained to a wheelwork controlling said dual cylinder, and a disc idly carried on the shaft of said gear wheel, thereto being connected the small end of a connecting rod which in turn is restrained to a plurality of levers acting on a set of cam discs control ling the additional thread supplies and associated thread guides, wherein on said disc and connecting rod facing said gear wheel there is secured an annular element having at least one peripheral tooth, and on the face adjacent said gear wheel at least two driving rocking levers are pivoted, these levers being angularly spaced apart and selectively acting on said tooth of said annular element to restrain said annular element to said gear wheel, each of said levers being connected to a spring constantly retaining it adherent to the periphery of said annular element.

2. A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein adjacent said rocking levers, a movable element is positioned at either of said levers to act thereon and release the same from the tooth on the annular element.

3. A unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein notches are formed on the annular element in a direction opposite to that of said tooth selectively engageable by said driving rocking levers, said additional notches being engageable by a spring pawl to avoid reverse displacements of said disc and connecting rod. 

1. A drive unit for operating and cutting out the additional supplies and associated thread guides on dual cylinder, circular knitting machines, comprising a gear wheel rotably restrained to a wheelwork controlling said dual cylinder, and a disc idly carried on the shaft of said gear wheel, thereto being connected the small end of a connecting rod which in turn is restrained to a plurality of levers acting on a set of cam discs controlling the additional thread supplies and associated thread guides, wherein on said disc and connecting rod facing said gear wheel there is secured an annular element having at least one peripheral tooth, and on the face adjacent said gear wheel at least two driving rocking levers are pivoted, these levers being angularly spaced apart and selectively acting on said tooth of said annular element to restrain said annular element to said gear wheel, each of said levers being coNnected to a spring constantly retaining it adherent to the periphery of said annular element.
 2. A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein adjacent said rocking levers, a movable element is positioned at either of said levers to act thereon and release the same from the tooth on the annular element.
 3. A unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein notches are formed on the annular element in a direction opposite to that of said tooth selectively engageable by said driving rocking levers, said additional notches being engageable by a spring pawl to avoid reverse displacements of said disc and connecting rod. 